Eat This, Not That: Gluten-Free Edition
As you probably know, I’m not gluten-free. As a matter of fact, I’m probably fist deep in a huge bowl of homemade Italian pasta right now :)
If you remember though, I recently attempted going gluten-free, and it lasted an astonishing two weeks.
Many people asked if it was difficult for me to do considering how many wheat products I enjoy: english muffins, bread, tortillas, pasta, cereal, etc. The answer: not really.
There are so many delicious wheat-free products out there now that you really can have your bread and eat it too. Here are some of my favorites…
Many gluten-free products can be tasteless, crumbly and just plain gross. The ones above are all To Live & Diet in L.A. tested and Whitney Approved. The Strawberry Crisp cereal tastes so similar to Special K, it’s uncanny. And Udi’s GF breads are all amazing. I especially enjoy their Chia Seed and Millet bread. All the products can all be found at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or similar health food stores like Erewhon.
If you’re curious, the reason I tried going gluten-free in the first place is that I’ve heard many trainers and dieticians preach about the benefits of ditching wheat. In addition, I have a number of stomach problems — a hiatal hernia, acid-reflux and self-diagnosed IBS. I’d been encouraged by wheat-free devotees for a while now to try the diet and see if it helps. So I figured I’d give it a go.
The only time I had trouble was when I was dining out.
Gluten is hidden in so many things you wouldn’t expect like sauces, marinades and salad dressing. And, gasp, it’s in the one product I need to enjoy my absolute favorite meal of all time: soy sauce.
Aside from going out to eat though, I did fine.
I eventually ended my gluten-free kick though while on vacation in San Francisco after two weeks of seeing no improvements in my stomach issues and really craving a big sandwich.
But I’m still enjoying some of the discoveries I made throughout my journey and thought I’d share them with you, for anyone who is — or is considering — going gluten-free.
Another great alternative to store bought products is using completely unprocessed whole foods to replace your favorite gluten goodies. Here are some of my favorite homemade recipes:
Blueberry-Banana Overnight Oats
[…] year, I tried a gluten-free diet for two weeks, but succumbed after seeing no results… and a very tantalizing encounter in San […]